“More is better” - When it comes to training in any sport, more is often thought to be best practice. Don’t get me wrong, without a consistent work ethic at any skill, especially pitching, there will be a limit to improvement. However, most players and parents think about going out to practice pitching between lessons or games as a chore. And the reason for that is because we have been trained to believe more is better in most everything. So when we go out to practice, we spend at least an hour, sometimes more, between driving to and from a location to train, warming up our bodies, warming up our mechanics of each pitch, and then actually throwing each pitch.

There are three main types of pre-motions: dropping one hand back, dropping both hands back, and rolling the hands. There has also been a recent trend of pitchers eliminating the pre-motion altogether. Let's take a look at examples of pitchers from the current world series employing each of these take-aways:

In tandem with these mental toughness skills, she can track the basic stats like strike percentage, walks and hits. Your pitcher will probably start to see a gradual correlations between good mental performances and good statistical performances. I’ve attached the forms we give players for free below. I developed these through learning what coaches do at annual NFCA (National Fastpitch Coaches Association) conferences I attend yearly, so I won’t take credit. I would have your daughter fill these out before and after every game as part of her routine. There’s nothing more fun than seeing your pitcher grow and recognizing her improvements.

I’ve been talking about the mental state of players the last month with many parents. I like to check in and see what everyone is thinking, and how we can keep incorporating pitching and motivation into family’s lives.

You know I say it constantly. Pitching is a skill that needs to be developed year-round. If you fail to recognize this, you’ll be very sorely disappointed at the result, and the money, time, energy you invested in 1 month to 5 years of lessons.

The last thing we want is those Wisconsinites and Hoosiers to kick our butts in tournaments since they’ve been able to socialize more than us!! Don’t let this happen Illinois!!

How is your daughter supposed to know how to talk about her performance? What should she say? What does “good” even mean? Surely there’s a thoughtful way to converse about her game so she can grow. After all, sports are the perfect setting to learn how to deal with adversity, unfairness, and physical discomfort. They can inspire her, show her what she's made of, and help her do things she never thought she could do. To sort out these lessons, have these questions ready for your “car talk” after a game or practice.

Paige believes that there needs to be a training environment set every day with a priority in brain stimulation. That means that your practices should include external motivation, competitive challenges, and high standards of expectation to perform or complete a “reach-task.” These are all of  the reasons that I have developed pitching school instead of giving individual lessons. 

I just spent an amazing 4 days at the greatest show on earth: the NFCA (National Fast-pitch Coaches Association) Convention, which took place in San Antonio, Texas this year.

Though the JW Marriott property was probably one of the most impressive properties I have ever seen -and the speakers who presented on pitching were extremely knowledgeable, interesting, and helpful-  in the spirit of the Christmas/Holiday Season, I would be remiss in withholding the most important thing I witnessed at convention to share with you all: Perseverance & Friendship.

What is more exciting than World Series softball? NOTHING tops it in my world. And this year in 2022, I was especially excited about Northwestern making it to OKC. It’s fun to see MidWest teams representing softball on the biggest stage - especially because it’s not as prevalent as the southern and western teams who make it to Oklahoma City year after year.

Joan Joyce - Not just the best female pitcher in fast-pitch softball history, but the best female athlete who ever lived.

If you have ever seen the likes of Monica Abbott, Cat Osterman, or Yukiko Ueno on the mound, it may be hard to believe that a woman who is over double their age was once a better and more accomplished pitcher. And what’s more, she did it with a slingshot delivery - not a windmill motion.

Who is this incredible softball pitcher, you ask? It is none other than the recently deceased Joan Joyce, 81 year old Head Softball Coach of Florida Atlantic University, where she resided at the helm for 28 years while also coaching Women’s golf for much of that time. You also may have heard of the Brakettes. Joan Joyce put them on the map.